Mini Mice Pre-School
GoodBirth to 5Open a few years
A pre-school in Bournemouth for children from birth to 5, open 08:30 to 14:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in September 2025. Open since 2022, with 34 places.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
BH10 4AAWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 19 September 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children build strong bonds with staff and respond positively to their warm welcome. Staff get to know children well and clearly value each child as an individual. Staff provide a broad curriculum that focuses on supporting children's independence and helps them prepare well for school. Staff support children with special educational needs and/or disabilities very well. They provide an inclusive environment where all children make achievements and feel welcomed. Children play cooperatively and recognise the established boundaries. Older children act as good role models and readily help their younger friends, such as by finding some paper for them to draw their pictures on.
Staff plan activities around children's interests, such as a favourite book, and children enjoy learning through their play. For example, children have fun developing their understanding of the world and sensory skills as they explore the sand and water play. Staff ask children about the toy sea creatures hidden in the water, such as a shark, whale or starfish. Children know sharks don't have legs but that an octopus does, and they count these confidently. They dig in the sand and scoop this into a bucket, telling a visitor it is a 'strawberry sand porridge'.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- review and improve the organisation of group activities, such as circle times, to support all children's concentration levels and engage them in learning consistently well n make more use of opportunities to help children learn about linking written numbers and quantity to develop their early mathematical awareness even further.
- 19 September 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 26 November 2024Needs improvement Safeguarding: Yes
Rated Good or Outstanding at 1 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Mini Mice Pre-School
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.